Anyone who’s lived abroad will agree that despite the excitement of experiencing another culture one of the things that is a struggle is keep in touch with friends abroad. As times change and people increasingly move all over the country and the world, it’s even more important than ever to try and find ways to keep the light of a friendship alive even if there are miles between people. We’ve come up with a few tips for keeping in touch with friends via long distance so that no matter where you are in the world you can keep your friendships rolling.
Make time for conversations
You have to be really disciplined with this particular point. You and your friends need to commit to spending time speaking on a regular basis. That means setting a time to talk or Skype and then sticking to it rigidly. Obviously, there should be a little room for leeway as life is unpredictable and you never know exactly when a family emergency, important deadline or something coming up out of the blue will happen. On the other hand, remember it doesn’t serve to have such a rigid commitment to chatting that it feels like a chore but at the same time it’s important to make the time you speak or chat online together one of your priorities.
Remember the special days
It is very important to take the time and the effort to record and remember to celebrate important events in some capacity, even if you can’t be there in person. There are lots of ways to make that happen. Perhaps it could be something small like sending a birthday card or even to send international flowers online for special occasions. With ideas like these, Facebook’s seemingly incessant reminders for birthdays and easy access worldwide to services like Skype and Whatsapp there is really no excuse for forgetting even to send a text for an important birthday or anniversary.
Keep people involved in your life
It’s important to tell the people close to you when you go through a positive, negative or life-changing experience whenever they come up. This way they and you will still feel involved with each other’s day-to-day life. It doesn’t have to be much, maybe the odd picture or text message just to keep them up to date with something you’re doing. Afterall, that is what friends are for. If you’re more of a creative type then perhaps you may want to set up a blog so that your friends can follow your adventures in your new country.
Keep surprising them
Don’t wait until it’s their birthday. Do something spontaneous when they’re least expecting it. Perhaps you could send them some flowers just because, or a little gift that suits them well if something catches your eye. If you’re feeling more extravagant maybe you could surprise them with a visit, although we recommend planning this carefully in case one of you is busy. Though it seems a little old-fashioned these days, sending a letter or a postcard is a classic way to share your love from afar and to surprise your loved ones in a slightly unexpected way.
Plan a trip together
A great way to meet your friends halfway is to plan and go on a holiday together. Maybe you will visit somewhere midway between your locations or maybe you’ll both plan to jet off somewhere exotic and different to go exploring, or alternatively, maybe you’ll plan to revisit an old favourite location together where you can reminisce. If all else fails the beach is always a safe bet and remember the world is literally your oyster in this case.
As you can see with the wonders of easy travel and modern technology keeping in touch with friends abroad doesn’t have to be the slog that it used to be. There are lots of ways to stay in other people’s lives even when there are thousands of miles between you.
At FloraQueen we deliver to over 100 countries worldwide, sending quality flowers, gift baskets and smiles around the globe. Sending international flowers online is easy and just one of the ways that you can keep in touch with your friends abroad.
